Toy block with rack assembly

ABSTRACT

A toy block includes a base assembly and a rack slidably attached to the base assembly. The rack, which defines a longitudinal axis, includes a first row of teeth and a second row of teeth, each of which extends in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The rows of teeth are oriented such that interaction between the first row of teeth and a first rotating member causes the first rotating member to rotate about an axis that is not parallel to an axis about which a second rotating member rotates when interacting with the second row of teeth.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to toy blocks.

BACKGROUND

Interlocking toy blocks nurture a child's creativity by allowing thechild to build objects and structures of interest to the child. Bysimply snapping the toy blocks together, a child can create both simpleand complex structures.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, a toy block includes a base assembly and a rackslidably attached to the base assembly. The rack, which defines alongitudinal axis, includes a first row of teeth and a second row ofteeth, each of which extends in a direction generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis. The rows of teeth are oriented such that interactionbetween the first row of teeth and a first rotating member causes thefirst rotating member to rotate about an axis that is not parallel to anaxis about which a second rotating member rotates when interacting withthe second row of teeth.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first row of teeth may include a series of protrusions or aseries of recesses. The rack may include a depth stop for defining arange of movement for the rack along the longitudinal axis. A biasingmember may be positioned between the rack and the base assembly to biasthe rack towards a rest position.

The lower surface of the base assembly may include one or more recessesfor releasably coupling the base assembly to an adjacent toy assembly,and an upper surface of the base assembly may include one or moreprotrusions for the same purpose.

The base assembly may include one or more accessory brackets forreleasably attaching an accessory (e.g., a bucket and bracket assembly,a saw blade and arm assembly, or a pincher arm assembly) to the baseassembly. An accessory may have a gear assembly for meshing with one ofthe rows of teeth of the rack, and the accessory bracket may bepositioned to permit such meshing.

The accessory brackets may be cylindrical protrusions configured toallow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the cylindricalprotrusion. The accessory may include an opening sized and positioned tosurround the cylindrical protrusion and position the gear assembly tomesh with a row of teeth.

Further, the accessory bracket may be an axial pivot point configured toallow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the axial pivot point.The accessory may include an axle sized and positioned to interact withthe axial pivot point and position the gear assembly to mesh with a rowof teeth.

A cover assembly may be releasably attached to the base assembly andpositioned on top of the accessory brackets to secure the accessories tothe accessory brackets. The cover assembly may include one or moreprotrusions for releasably coupling adjacent toy blocks.

The rack may include a third row of teeth extending in a directiongenerally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The third row of teeth maybe oriented such that interaction between the third row of teeth and athird rotating member causes the third rotating member to rotate aboutan axis that is parallel to the axis about which the first rotatingmember rotates when interacting with the first row of teeth.

The toy block may include a pushrod having a longitudinal slot, and therack may include a protrusion for slidably engaging the longitudinalslot of the pushrod.

In another general aspect, a toy block includes a base assembly and arack slidably attached to the base assembly and defining a longitudinalaxis. The base assembly includes at least one accessory bracket forreleasably attaching an accessory to the base assembly, such that theaccessory may interact with the rack.

Implementations may include one or more of the features noted above.

Other features will be apparent from the following description,including the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a toy block with a rack assembly.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with the upperportion of the base assembly removed.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with an attachedpincher arm accessory.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 3 with a coverassembly installed.

FIG. 5 is an isometric bottom view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with thecover assembly installed.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with an attached pivotarm accessory.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a pushrod.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with the pushrodof FIG. 7 installed.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a projectile.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with theprojectile of FIG. 9 installed.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with a saw bladeand arm accessory installed.

FIG. 12A is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 8 with the coverassembly removed and a bucket and bracket accessory installed.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the toy block of FIG. 12A with the coverassembly installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a toy block with a rack assembly 10, whichmay be constructed of plastic, includes a base assembly 12 and a rack 14that is slidable (with respect to base assembly 12) along a longitudinalaxis 16.

Rack 14 includes depth stops 20 that limit the travel of rack 14 withinbase assembly 12 to define a range of movement for rack 14. A plunger 22at the end of rack 14 extends from the base assembly 12 and includes aconcave portion 23 shaped to permit the rack to be pushed comfortably bythe thumb of a user. As a force is applied to rack 14 in the directionof arrow 24, rack 14 moves until depth stops 20 strike wall 26 of baseassembly 12. Similarly, as a force is applied to rack 14 in thedirection of arrow 28, rack 14 moves until depth stops 20 strike wall 30of base assembly 12.

Toy block 10 also includes a spring 32 that biases rack 14 in direction28. In other implementations, spring 32 may be replaced by anotherresilient, compressible member, such as a piece of compressible rubberor foam, or a stretchable member, such as, for example, a rubber band.The direction and strength of the bias applied to rack 14 may be variedby modifying the type and position of the resilient member or thestretchable member. As shown, spring 32 is positioned between depth stop20 and wall 26 to cause the rack 14 to be biased in the direction ofarrow 28. Alternatively, a compressible member may be positioned betweendepth stop 20 and wall 30 or a stretchable member may be positionedbetween depth stop 20 and wall 26 to bias the rack in the direction ofarrow 24.

Rack 14 includes multiple sets or rows of teeth 36, 38, and 40 that arepositioned in a linear fashion along the rack in a direction oflongitudinal axis 16. Typically, two of these rows of teeth (e.g., rows36 and 40) are positioned in the same plane about axis 16 and onopposite sides of the rack 14. Therefore, rows of teeth 36 and 40 aretypically spaced 180° apart around axis 16. Row of teeth 38, which istypically perpendicular to rows 36 and 40, is defined by a series ofrecesses, such that the area between a pair of recesses defines a singletooth of the row of teeth 38. In particular implementations, each of therows of teeth 36, 38, and 40 may be formed from a series of protrusions(e.g., rows 36, 40) or from a series of recesses (e.g., row 38).

Rack 14 has a generally rectangular cross-section, with a longitudinaltop surface (in which row 38 is defined) and two longitudinal sidesurfaces (on which row 36 and row 40 are respectively defined). In otherimplementations, the cross section may be another shape, such as asquare, a triangle, a circle, or a hemisphere.

Base assembly 12 typically includes an upper portion 42 that coversresilient member 32 and locks rack 14 within base assembly 12. Baseassembly 12 additionally includes accessory brackets 44, 46, and 48 forreleasably attaching accessories (to be discussed below) to baseassembly 12. Accessory brackets 44 and 46 are cylindrical protrusionsthat allow the accessories to pivot about the axes 45 and 47 of thecylindrical protrusions while interfacing with the rows of teeth 36 and40. The accessory bracket 48 provides axial pivot points that allow theaccessories to pivot about an axis 49 defined between the axial pivotpoints while interfacing with the row of teeth 38.

FIG. 3 illustrates the toy block with pincher arm accessories 50 and 52installed. Each of the pincher arms 50 and 52 includes a respective gearassembly 54 or 56 that meshes with a row of teeth of rack 14 when thepincher arms are installed on brackets 44 and 46. The specific row ofteeth with which the gear assembly of the pincher arm meshes dependsupon the accessory bracket on which the arm pivots. In particular, arm50 pivots about accessory bracket 44 and, therefore, the gear assembly54 of arm 50 meshes with row of teeth 36 of rack 14. Similarly, arm 52pivots about accessory bracket 46 and, therefore, the gear assembly 56of arm 52 meshes with row of teeth 40 of rack 14.

As rack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the directionof arrow 24, arms 50 and 52 pivot about brackets 44 and 46 respectively,such that tips 58 and 60 of arms 50 and 52 spread apart. Further, asrack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the direction ofarrow 28, arms 50 and 52 pivot about brackets 44 and 46, respectively,such that tips 58 and 60 move towards each other.

Referring also to FIG. 4, toy block 10 also may be supplied with a coverassembly 55 that is releasably attached to the top surface of baseassembly 12, to cover accessory brackets 44, 46, and 48 and secure anyaccessories (e.g., arms 50 and 52) pivoting about those brackets.Typically, cover assembly 55 is releasably attached to base assembly 12through an interference fit so that cover assembly 55 can be easilyremoved to switch accessories.

Cover assembly 55 and upper portion 42 of base assembly 12 includeprotrusions (e.g. protrusions 56, 58, and 60) that allow the toy block10 to be temporarily connected with other adjacent toy blocks.

Referring also to FIG. 5, the lower surface 62 of base assembly 12includes recesses 57 and 59 that are spaced and sized to interface withprotrusions of another toy block that are arranged like the protrusions56, 58, and 60 of the toy block 10. A recess (e.g., recess 59) isdefined as the space between several cylindrical protrusions (e.g.,protrusions 61, 63, 65, and 67) on the lower surface 62 of base assembly12. In other implementations, the recesses are defined within annularridges that extend from the lower surface 62, or by circular recesses inthat surface. In each case, the cylindrical protrusions, the annularridges, or the circular recesses are spaced consistently with thespacing of the protrusions 56, 58, and 60.

The recesses and protrusions of the toy block 10 and compatible blocksare sized so that an interference fit is created whenever theprotrusions of a first toy block are pressed into the recesses of asecond toy block.

Referring also to FIG. 6, a pivot arm 64 may pivot on accessory brackets48 about horizontal axis 49 on axle 51. A gear assembly 68 incorporatedinto pivot arm 64 meshes with the row of teeth 38 (FIG. 1) on thelongitudinal top surface 69 of rack 14. As rack 14 is moved (withrespect to base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 24, pivot arm 64pivots counterclockwise about bracket 48 and arm 64 swings in thedirection of arrow 70. Alternatively, as rack 14 is moved (with respectto base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 28, pivot arm 64 pivotsclockwise about bracket 48 and the arm 64 swings in the direction ofarrow 72.

Referring also to FIGS. 2, 7 and 8, rack 14 of toy block 10 includes aprotrusion 74 for slidably engaging a longitudinal slot 76 in a pushrodassembly 78. Once pushrod assembly 78 is positioned on top of rack 14and upper portion 42 of base assembly 12 is installed, toy block 10 isconfigured such that the pushrod assembly 78 tracks the movement of therack 14. By varying the length of the longitudinal slot, a hysteresisbetween the movement of the rack 14 and the pushrod assembly 78 can bevaried.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 9 and 10, protrusion 74 of rack 14 may slidablyengage a longitudinal slot 80 in a projectile assembly 82. Projectileassembly 82 is positioned on top of rack 14 and the upper portion 42 ofbase assembly 12 is installed. As discussed above, rack 14 is typicallybiased in the direction of arrow 28. As projectile assembly 82 is slidinto toy block 10 in the direction of arrow 24, protrusion 74 slidablyengages slot 80 until protrusion 74 strikes the end 84 of slot 80.Applying a force to rack 14 in the direction of arrow 24 results inprojectile assembly 82 sliding further into toy block 10. Quicklyreleasing rack 14 causes the rack to abruptly move in the direction ofarrow 28, resulting in projectile assembly 80 being projected out of toyblock 10.

Referring to FIG. 11, the toy block 10 is shown with a saw blade 84 andan arm 86 installed. Arm 86 includes a gear assembly 88 that meshes witha row of teeth on rack 14, such that movement of rack 14 in thedirection of arrow 24 results in arm 86 and blade 84 pivoting in thedirection of arrow 90. A fixed arm 83 is attached to bracket 46. As thetip 85 of fixed arm 83 engages the teeth of saw blade 84, movement ofblade 84 and arm 86 in the direction of arrow 90 results in the rotationof saw blade 84 in the direction of arrow 87.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the toy block 10 is shown with a bucket92 and bracket assembly 94 installed. In the same manner as describedabove, when rack 14 is moved in the direction of arrow 24, pushrodassembly 78 strikes bucket 92, resulting in bucket 92 rotating aboutaxis 96 in the direction of arrow 98.

As described above, a single toy block with a rack assembly allows forinterconnection with and manipulation of numerous accessories, such asthe pincher arms of FIG. 3, the pivot arm of FIG. 6, the pushrodassembly of FIG. 7, the projectile assembly of FIG. 9, the saw blade andarm of FIG. 11, and the bucket and bracket assembly of FIGS. 12A and12B.

While the rack is described above as including three rows of teeth,other configurations are possible, such as configurations including twoor four rows of teeth. Additionally, while the third row of teeth isdescribed above as being essentially perpendicular to the first two rowsof teeth, other configurations are possible. For example, the third rowof teeth may be positioned at a 45° angle with respect to either of theother two rows of teeth.

The toy block 10 may be included as part of a set of building blocks. Atleast some of the other building blocks may be configured to couple tothe protrusions or recesses of the toy block 10.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

1. A toy block comprising: a base assembly having an upper surface andone or more cylindrical coupling protrusions protruding from the uppersurface, wherein the coupling protrusions are adapted for releasablyattaching the toy block to another toy block; and a rack slidablyattached to the base assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, the rackincluding: a first row of teeth, wherein the teeth extending in adirection generally parallel perpendicular to the longitudinal axis andthe first row of teeth runs in a direction generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis; and a second row of teeth, wherein the teeth extendin a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and thesecond row of teeth runs in a direction generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis.
 2. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the first row ofteeth include a series of protrusions.
 3. The toy block of claim 1wherein the first row of teeth include a series of recesses.
 4. The toyblock of claim 1 wherein the rack includes a depth stop for defining arange of movement for the rack along the longitudinal axis.
 5. The toyblock of claim 4 further comprising a biasing member attached to therack and the base assembly to bias the rack towards a rest position. 6.The toy block of claim 1 wherein a lower surface of the base assemblyincludes one or more recesses for releasably coupling to an adjacent toyassembly.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the baseassembly includes accessory brackets for releasably attaching anaccessory to the base assembly.
 9. The toy block of claim 8 furthercomprising an accessory including a gear assembly for meshing with oneof the rows of teeth of the rack, wherein the accessory brackets arecylindrical protrusions configured to allow the accessory to pivot abouta central axis of the cylindrical protrusion, and the accessory includesan opening sized and positioned to receive the cylindrical protrusionwith the gear assembly positioned to mesh with a row of teeth.
 10. Thetoy block of claim 8 further comprising an accessory including a gearassembly for meshing with one of the rows of teeth of the rack, whereinthe accessory bracket is an axial pivot point configured to allow theaccessory to pivot about the axis of the axial pivot point, and theaccessory includes an axle sized and positioned to interact with theaxial pivot point and position the gear assembly to mesh with a row ofteeth.
 11. The toy block of claim 8 further comprising a cover assembly,releasably attached to the base assembly and positioned on top of theaccessory brackets, for securing the accessories to the accessorybrackets.
 12. The toy block of claim 11 wherein the cover assemblyincludes one or more protrusions for releasably coupling the coverassembly to another toy blocks.
 13. The toy block of claim 8 wherein theaccessory is chosen from the group consisting of a bucket and bracketassembly, a saw blade and arm assembly, and a pincher arm assembly. 14.The toy block of claim 21 wherein: the rack includes a third row ofteeth extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinalaxis, and the third row of teeth is oriented such that interactionbetween the third row of teeth and a third rotating member causes thethird rotating member to rotate about an axis that is parallel to theaxis about which the first rotating member rotates when interacting withthe first row of teeth.
 15. The toy block of claim 1 further comprisinga pushrod having a longitudinal slot, wherein the rack includes aprotrusion for slidably engaging the longitudinal slot of the pushrod.16. A toy block comprising: a base assembly having an upper surface andone or more cylindrical coupling protrusions protruding from the uppersurface, wherein the coupling protrusions are adapted for releasablyattaching the toy block to another toy block; and a rack having a row ofteeth, the rack being slidably attached to the base assembly anddefining a longitudinal axis, wherein the teeth extending in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the row of teethruns in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis; whereinthe base assembly includes at least one accessory bracket for releasablyattaching an accessory to the base assembly in a position such that theaccessory can interact with the rack.
 17. The toy block of claim 16further comprising an accessory releasably attached to the baseassembly, the accessory including a gear assembly wherein: at least oneaccessory bracket is a cylindrical protrusion configured to allow theaccessory to pivot about the axis of the cylindrical protrusion; and theaccessory includes an opening sized and positioned to receive thecylindrical protrusion and position the gear assembly to mesh with therow of teeth.
 18. The toy block of claim 16 further comprising anaccessory releasably attached to the base assembly, the accessoryincluding a gear assembly wherein: at least one accessory bracket is anaxial pivot point configured to allow the accessory to pivot about theaxis of the axial pivot point; and the accessory includes an axle sizedand positioned to interact with the axial pivot point and position thegear assembly to mesh with the row of teeth.
 19. The toy block of claim1 wherein the rack further includes a row of recesses, the row ofrecesses extending in a direction that is generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis.
 20. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the row ofrecesses is located between the first row of teeth and the second row ofteeth.
 21. The toy block of claim 1 further comprising: a first rotatingmember; and a second rotating member, wherein the rows of teeth areoriented such that interaction between the first row of teeth and thefirst rotating member causes the first rotating member to rotate aboutan axis that is not parallel to an axis about which the second rotatingmember rotates when interacting with the second row of teeth.